We hired a contractor to stain our ten year old cedar home while we were on vacation. They prepped the house with a power washer. In some areas they apparently hardly got it wet while in others they were blasting out the wood as witnessed by the cedar sawdust. The result was splotchy with areas of dark and very light with random lines separating them.
Rather than correcting this, they stained over it. Making the mottled disaster permanent.
The contractor admits it was a mistake done by his people while he was elsewhere. He also says that he will fix it although I have my doubts as his stories change each time.
Any ideas on how to deal with the stain problem. I will deal with the contractor.
All lumber was pre-stained with multiple layers of transparent stain before it was installed. It received one coat of stain five years later and the current time is five years after that. The areas in question see little sun.
Replies
I think the first thing to do is find out exactly what was used to stain it. Can you post any photos that show the damage well?
PaulB
http://www.makeabettertomorrow.com
http://www.finecontracting.com
Here are some pictures of the two problem areas. The rest of the house looks fine. I hope they show up as I have not uploaded pics to FHB before.The house is only ten years old. We live in a rural area and the house was built on a handshake. Everything went well and there was never a problemI got the name of the painting contractor from the local paint store, but found out too late that the person knows nothing about painting contractors. Unfortunately this one is a dud that gives contractors a bad name and causes my wife sleepless nights. The painter said he will strip the North side, or at least up to the circular vent, and put two coats of stain to match the upper part at least somewhat. The fish scales are going to be another problem.I appreciate the help.
Yeah... that's a shame. Looks like a real pretty place.
Between the overly aggressive pressure washing and the botched staining I can't see where you're going to get this to look right without "sand" blasting as was suggested earlier. PaulB
http://www.makeabettertomorrow.com
http://www.finecontracting.com
Why would anyone EVER build a house with so much paintable/stainable surface and not have a plan on how to deal with it in the first place?
Yes, the contractor was at fault. But so was the guy whom had the house built this way and then didn't want the job of maintaining it.
I'll bet the "contractor" will not lift a finger to do any repairs. When push comes to shove, he'll simply disappear.
Therefore, if I was the OP, I'd be working on "plan B." That's where the wife gets out there and does it herself. One way or the other.
I can't tell you how many lousy looking cedar houses are out there getting nastier and nastier looking every day. Looks nice the day it's installed....
Ouch, a bit harsh.We had the house built to our design and specification. We like the look of cedar at all ages much better than a plastic house or one with peeling paint. We do have a maintenance plan. I re-stained it every few years, but was tied up with other matters this year. I was unfortunate to get a painter who was remiss in his supervision as he let a couple of his junior employees do part of the job without proper supervision. Actually the employees ignored his instructions. You are correct that there is a good chance that he will walk away, but I am still holding back a good portion of the fee. We are also looking at other options if he does.
Thanks for the compliment.I just got off of the phone with the Cabot technical folks. No good news there either. Not much can be done. He did not even think stripping it was going it work. He said never, never, never powerwash cedar or redwood. If you do, sand afterward. Thanks for the help
Power washers are probably the worst thing that has happened to the painting trades since the invention of paint. They cause more problems than they solve because people do not understand how to use them properly, and your story isn't an uncommon one.
That said, your contractor has a serious problem; he will need to sandblast the house--preferably with walnut shells rather than sand--to peel it down to the point where it is all a uniform colour and texture. Only then can he apply new stain and hope for a decent job. Anything he tries to apply over this botch--except 'solid stain' or paint--will only make things worse. There is no magic bullet for this one. Sorry.
I was called in to bid on restaining a botched job similar to yours a couple of years ago, so I can tell you with certainty that this process will be both expensive and time consuming. I hope for your sake the contractor you hired is responsible enough to bite the bullet and do it right.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
Call in some local sharp shooters(they are out there!) Do not despair. Maybe some spray on heavy bodied stain, test,test,test..before committing to anything. We use ml cambells finishing products and they have salesmen-technicians who can turn mud into gold. Call all of your distributors of this product, they have seen everything. goodluck stinky